TAP INTO YOUR SHOW DOGS’ TRUE POTENTIAL MINDSET RESET FOR YOUR DOG
BY LEE WHITTIER
R emember this: If you’re the kind of person who races back to your set-up after a loss to create a new “battle plan,” you have a growth mindset. If we apply a growth mindset to ourselves as handlers, we must pursue what we can do to make our pup- pies better dogs and better show dogs. We can then build on this foundation as we look at mental conditioning within the context of exposing our dogs to multiple stimuli and situa- tions. A lot can happen to a dog that can make or break his potential as a show dog. You can, however, teach your show dog a growth mindset through expanding their horizons to include any and all challenges that arise, whether they’ve seen them before or not. Let’s explore how developing a growth mindset in your dog will make him eager to meet these new challenges. You want a dog that can think, that can learn, that can puzzle things out, and that is capable of learning and growing. To do so, you must be clear about what you want them to do. If you aren’t clear yourself, you can’t possibly communicate that to them. In translation, this means that you cannot expect your dog to know how to perform, if you yourself are not sure. AN APPLICATION OF THE GROWTH MINDSET THEORY TO DOGS Any breeder knows that puppies are on a continuum with their temperaments. Traditionally, we have tools to evaluate puppies and we use that information to help owners (some- times ourselves) to determine if a puppy is best suited to rest comfortably in front of the fireplace, or if he has the tempera- ment to be an agility dog, a service dog, or one of our own show dogs. Let’s combine that body of knowledge to Carol Dweck’s Mindset Theory, which states, “There are two main mindsets we can navigate life with: growth and fixed. Having a growth mindset is essential for success.” What a powerful approach when we use it to support our young dogs as they become their best selves—simply by identifying and addressing their mindset!
“YOU WANT A DOG THAT CAN THINK, THAT CAN LEARN, THAT CAN PUZZLE THINGS OUT, AND THAT IS CAPABLE OF LEARNING AND GROWING.”
SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, OCTOBER 2021 | 163
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